


Finally

by pocketwatchangora



Category: Naruto
Genre: Abuse, Conditioned Behaviour, Gone for 4 Years, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Punishment, Safety, Sasuke returns, Sex Slave, Starvation, Violence, prisoner
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-07
Updated: 2016-10-01
Packaged: 2018-05-05 12:23:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5375060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pocketwatchangora/pseuds/pocketwatchangora
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sasuke returns to Konoha after 4 years...collapsing into Naruto's arms in his own doorway <br/>Warnings: Rape, abuse, violence, sex slavery etc. (past) OroSasu, OCxSasu, Eventual NaruSasu</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Naruto sat down with his bowl of hot ramen, a glass of cold milk and a set of chopsticks, grinning at his meal. Just as he put his hands together and closed his eyes about to say ‘Itadakimasu’, there was a knock on the door. The blue eyes snapped open and he sighed, looking at his dinner longingly before getting up. He was about to get there when there was another knock, slightly more insistent this time, but fainter. 

“Ok, ok, I’m comin’!” he called, annoyed. He opened the door, ready to yell at whatever salesperson was bothering him at dinnertime, but what he saw had him totally stunned “S…Sasuke..?!” he gasped. 

The boy he’d once considered his best friend stood before him, panting with wide, desperate eyes. All he was wearing was some flimsy pants, tied double around his thin hips, and a dirty too-big shirt that did nothing against the harsh wind. He wasn’t even wearing shoes. “What the hell…why are you-” Sasuke let out a soft sigh, his eyes closed and he fell forwards. 

Naruto instinctively caught him, shocked and stunned “Holy shit…” he muttered, unable to verbally sum-up how bizarre this was. He hadn’t seen or heard from Sasuke for almost 4 years and here he was…unconscious in his arms without so much as a hello. 

He took him straight to his cramped bedroom and placed him on the bed, looking over him. He was even paler than before and had dark circles under his eyes, looking seriously skinny. 

Naruto also noticed bruises on the Uchiha’s arms, face and neck - all of which were the only parts visible - and his feet were badly damaged from apparently walking through rough terrain for who knows how long. Where had Sasuke come from and why did he have to walk all the way here with so little clothing? Naruto decided he’d ask him in the morning; right now, Sasuke needed to sleep. 

Naruto went back to his meal, though couldn’t enjoy it nearly as much now that Sasuke was occupying his mind. He washed his bowl and glass and eventually fell asleep on the couch.


	2. Chapter 2

Naruto woke up wondering why he was on the couch. He got up and went into his room, surprised to see someone lying in it. Then he recalled the events of last night.  
“Sasuke…” he said softly and went over to the boy. 

He was curled up with his back pressed to the wall, his legs were brought up to his chest almost defensively with his head bent down, his arms wrapped around himself. Naruto didn’t like that, it was so wrong to see Sasuke looking so small and helpless. He didn’t know what had happened to him over the past 4 years but it wasn’t anything good. Sasuke’s face and arms were bruised and scarred, Naruto dreaded to think what was under his clothes. There was a reddish bruise around the pale slender neck; it looked like something had been around it tightly for a long time, same as his wrists. He decided to wake him up and get some answers. “Sasuke..” he said softly, shaking the surprisingly bony shoulders gently, then tried a little louder.

Eventually the bruised eyelids flickered and revealed the dark irises of his old friend and teammate, but they were drowsy and unfocussed. “Sasuke, wake up, it’s me…Naruto..” the eyes widened at the familiar name and looked up at him properly. Naruto smiled as much he could at him, stunned by how terrified he looked. “Hi, do you remember what happened last night?” Sasuke looked down as he nodded, slowly sitting up but winced and held his ribs “What? What’s wrong?” he asked, moving his hand away and lifting his shirt up. 

One side of his ribs were so badly bruised it blocked out the natural skin “Shit, Sasuke, what happened?!” he asked, holding him steady as he seemed too weak and in pain to sit up by himself. 

He waited for Sasuke to answer but he never did “Sasuke? What’s wrong? Why aren’t you saying anything?” he asked. Sasuke looked down and his fingertips brushed his bruised neck, almost as if he was reminding himself of something. “What? You can’t speak? Is your throat damaged?” Sasuke shook his head and pointed at Naruto, leaving the blonde confused “Here, uh, write it down.” He said, handing him a pad of paper and a pen. Sasuke nodded and shakily wrote something, then showed it to Naruto

‘Permission.’ 

Naruto’s eyes widened and stared at the Uchiha “You…you need permission to talk..?” he asked, unable to believe it. Sasuke put his eyes down again and nodded, nibbling his lip “Um, ok, you can speak. You don’t need permission anymore, Sasuke.” Sasuke frowned and opened his mouth, finally making a sound.

“You…you don’t u-understand..” he said, trying to get his voice to work again. 

“Then tell me. What happened to you? How did you get all these bruises? Where have you been?” Sasuke chewing his lip again “Fine, don’t tell me. I’ll just call Tsunade and she can take a look at you.” 

“N-no, please-” he started but stopped with a wince, the pain in his ribs cutting off his air for a moment. Naruto saw he’d pushed him a little too hard and backed off a little

“Ok, don’t worry, I won’t… Uh… Hey, are you hungry?” he said. Sasuke looked at him as if surprised, filling Naruto with dread “Oh God, Sasuke, please tell me you’ve been eating..” Sasuke shrugged

“Not since I left..” 

“How long ago was that?”

“Um…two days..maybe three…” he mumbled. 

“How often did you eat before you left?”

“If I was good… every other day and if I was bad, I didn’t get fed until I did something Master liked..” Naruto winced at the word ‘master’ and what he liked, sighed and got up.

“Come on, I’m gonna feed you until you can’t move.” He said with a grin. Sasuke smiled weakly and took the offered hand, Naruto helping him walk.   
Naruto made Sasuke a huge bowl of ramen with extra everything. 

“Sorry I don’t have anything else..” Naruto said, eating his own. Sasuke smiled 

“Thank you for the meal..” he said, digging in. Naruto watched him sadly for a moment then started eating too.   
Sasuke didn’t eat much but it was enough to satisfy Naruto. He knew Sasuke wouldn’t be able to stomach much as it was obvious he hadn’t been fed properly for a long time. They would have to work on getting him used to eating bigger meals as he tried to fatten him up. It scared Naruto to see how thin the boy was, he was practically emaciated…

When they were both done with their meals - Naruto having finished off Sasuke’s - Naruto suggested Sasuke take a shower. The boy nodded and Naruto told him where to go and how to work it, Sasuke going off while he washed up the bowls. 

Once he was done, he went to check on Sasuke, grabbing clean towel from the radiator. He went in to see Sasuke standing wearing just pants. His back was scarred and so thin that his shoulder blades, ribs and spine were ridiculously prominent. 

“Sasuke..” he said softly, making the Uchiha jump and turn to look at him with huge eyes. He relaxed when he saw who it was, making Naruto smile sheepishly. “Sorry… Here’s a towel. Do you need any help?” he asked. 

Sasuke looked down and shook his head. He was obviously pretty weak, using the sink as support just for standing still “Will you be ok in the shower?” he asked. Sasuke glanced at him and shrugged, his collar bone jutting out dramatically at the movement. “I’ll hold you up, ok? Don’t worry; I won’t do anything, just help you wash. It would have been easier if I had a bathtub, huh?” Sasuke smiled weakly, turning away from Naruto slightly as he slowly untied his much-too-big pants. 

Then something caught Naruto’s eye. “Sasuke…what’s that?” he asked. The raven looked at him confused, then followed his eyes down to a burn between his hipbones.

“It-…it’s his brand..” he mumbled. Naruto’s eyes widened and he gently turned Sasuke to face him fully. It was snake-shaped burn in Sasuke’s flesh -or lack thereof- just above his pubic hair (which had been shaved or trimmed recently from the looks of its length). Naruto felt anger bubbling in his stomach: Orochimaru had branded him?! What was he, cattle?

“Does it hurt?” was all he deemed appropriate to ask

“No, it’s old..” Sasuke replied. Naruto gulped and moved away again, checking the shower temperature. 

“The water’s ready - nice and hot.” Naruto said, trying not to look at the brand again

“Hot..?” Sasuke asked with genuine surprise, making Naruto’s heart sink

“You haven’t had a hot shower either?”

“The water was always cold..” he replied. Naruto smiled and turned the temperature down to warm, easing Sasuke into it once he was undressed. Sasuke’s eyes closed as soon as it hit his skin, gasping quietly as he leaned against the cool tiled wall. Naruto was quickly undressed, leaving his own boxer shorts on, and got in with him, holding the emaciated body to himself to keep him upright. 

He fully expected Sasuke’s flinch at the skin-to-skin contact but he didn’t mind, holding him gently. 

“Shall I turn it up?” he asked him softly. Sasuke looked at him, craning his neck a little as Naruto was a good three inches taller than him now, and nodded. Naruto did so, periodically turning it a notch higher until it was nice and hot. 

“I forgot how nice hot water is…” Sasuke said softly, moving his head back so it got to his face and neck, only to make that horrible bruise more visible. Naruto smiled slightly, then picked up the bar of soap 

“You want me to do it or can you?” he asked, gesturing to the soap. Sasuke blushed and took the bar from him “I’ll wash your hair, ne?” he asked. Sasuke smiled at this and nodded

“Thanks..” he said quietly. Naruto smiled and grabbed the bottle of herbal shampoo, squeezing some onto his hand before lathering it into Sasuke’s dark hair, now weighed down by the water and reaching below his shoulders, but it was matted and dirty – Naruto figured they’d have to get it cut. 

They worked together to get Sasuke nice and clean, Sasuke scrubbing his own body and Naruto washing and combing his hair while keeping him upright. Soon, Sasuke was squeaky clean and they got out of the shower, Naruto wrapping him in the biggest warmest towel he owned before getting a less-so one for himself. 

“Feel better?” he asked with a smile. Sasuke looked at him and nodded

“Much better…thank you..” he said with a small smile. Naruto grinned at him and their eyes met for a little too long

“Uh…I’ll get you some…clothes..” he muttered, begrudgingly breaking eye contact. He watched sadly as Sasuke’s eyes automatically looked at the floor, chewing his bottom lip. Naruto gently reached to him and, though he flinched initially, Sasuke allowed Naruto to touch his face. One tanned hand rested on the pale, bruised cheek as his thumb parted his teeth from his lip “Don’t do that, Sas..” he said softly, his eyes locked on the surprisingly full, pink lips of the smaller boy. When he realized he was staring again, Naruto cleared his throat and left, muttering about clothes again. 

Sasuke stayed in the warmth of the steamy bathroom, mostly because he didn’t want to get in trouble for going somewhere he wasn’t allowed. Naruto called him into the living room after a few moments and he obeyed, eyes on the floor again as he let his memory navigate – this was one of the places he’d visited a thousand times while in that room.

“Here, these are the smallest clothes I own but they’ll still be too big, we’ll have to buy you some new clothes, ne?” Sasuke took the pile of clothes Naruto handed him.

“Thank you, M--” he bit his lip to silence himself, stopped the word ‘master’ before it formed fully, his eyes squeezed shut and shoulders hunched. Naruto smiled sadly at him

“You can go get changed and then we can watch a movie, ok?” Sasuke looked at him and nodded with a weak smile “Do you have any injuries that need treating?” he asked. Sasuke shook his head

“They’re all old…except, um..” he said softly, trailing off as he looked down. Naruto followed his eyes and realized he meant his damaged feet 

“Oh, your feet! Ok, you go get changed and I’ll dress them when you come back.” He said. Sasuke nodded and went off, trying to mask his limp as much as possible – the hot water had made the wounds sting more. 

He returned wearing a large hooded sweatshirt, which looked enormous, and a pair of sweat pants which he had to tie up at the waist to keep them on his narrow hips. Naruto smiled at him from his seat on the sofa, thinking how cute and young he looked, secretly glad the clothes covered up how bad his body looked. 

“That’s better, huh? What shall I do with the clothes you were wearing?” he asked, pointing towards the heap of clothes by the door. Sasuke’s eyes widened and he went over to them quickly, bending down and fishing through them “What is i-” he was cut off by Sasuke’s standing up again, bring out a small piece of paper with him. He stayed where he was and unfolded the paper, Naruto heard the sigh of relief before he folded it back up and put it in the sweater’s pocket. Naruto decided not to ask what it was, Sasuke deserved privacy. Then he picked all the items of clothing up and dropped them into the kitchen trash can, making Naruto smile slightly.

The Uchiha then returned to sit on the sofa. Naruto smiled and picked up the first aid kit from the coffee table and placed it on his lap “Ok, let me see your feet.” He said, turning to face Sasuke. Sasuke obeyed, shyly presenting both feet as he leaned back slightly. Naruto frowned. The soles of his feet were scratched, torn, bruised and slightly swollen “God, they look really painful..” Naruto muttered, holding his ankles gently. Sasuke didn’t reply “I’ll disinfect them then bandage them up…you shouldn’t do too much walking until they’ve healed.”

With a nod from Sasuke, Naruto started dressing the poor damaged feet. 

“So, um…those clothes you were wearing, were they yours?” he asked in an effort to distract Sasuke from the pain. Sasuke shook his head

“A guard helped me escape…it had to be me… He gave me the clothes but no…no shoes..”

“Ok…how long did it take you to get here?”

“About 2…maybe 3 days… When I got to Konoha…you were the only person I wanted to see..” he said with a shrug. Naruto grinned

“I’m really glad you came to me.” He said, then went back to dressing his feet, the corners of Sasuke’s mouth quirking slightly as he looked down. 

Once he was finished and his feet were safely bandaged up and raised on a couple of pillows on the coffee table, Naruto gave him some painkillers and smiled “So, what movie do you want to watch?” he asked, smiling. Sasuke looked at him with wide eyes, he obviously hadn’t been asked for his opinion in a long time

“I-I don’t know…whatever you want..” he said, looking down again. Naruto went over to the DVD cabinet, looking through the titles for something gentle that wouldn’t upset Sasuke.

“Let’s see…oh, how about Monster’s Inc, ne? We used to watch it when we were kids, remember?” he asked, smiling at him. Sasuke smiled slightly and nodded

“With Sakura and Kakashi-sensei…” Naruto grinned and put it on, joining Sasuke on the couch “How, um…how are they?”

“Oh, they’re great! Sakura’s a medical nin now and Kakashi and Iruka just bought a place together.” Naruto said with a grin. Sasuke looked at him

“Kakashi…and Iruka?” he asked.

“Yeah! They’ve been dating for, like, 2 years - isn’t that great? They’re both real happy.” Sasuke smiled slightly, making Naruto grin more “Maybe Kakashi could come over some time? I bet he’d be really happy to see that you’re ok, ne?” Sasuke nodded slowly

“I’d…like to see him too… But, um, just him..”

“Sure, just him. Great! I’ll talk to him tomorrow.” He said with a grin. Sasuke nodded again, his eyes down. He hoped things would be better now.


	3. Chapter 3

Kakashi came over to Naruto’s house to see Sasuke for the first time in 4 years. He was looking forward to meeting his ex-student again, but was worried by what Naruto had told him: that Sasuke was now a terribly thin, bruised and frightened shell of an 18-year-old. Apparently he hadn’t told anyone what had happened at the Sound, not even Naruto, so Kakashi hoped a familiar face of authority as well as kindness would help Sasuke unload the burden. 

“Hey, Kakashi-sensei, come on in! Sasuke’s just taking a shower, he’ll be out in a sec - do you want anything to drink?” Naruto asked as Kakashi took his shoes off at the door and went into the small living room. 

“That would be great, thanks.”

“Ok…uh, is milk ok?” he asked, looking in the sparsely stocked refrigerator. Kakashi smiled and nodded, thanking him as he sat down. Naruto gave him a glass of cold milk (Kakashi couldn’t help sniffing it make sure it wasn’t off before drinking) and went to the bathroom door, knocking softly.

“Sasuke, Kakashi’s here to see you..” he said, Kakashi frowning at how quietly he spoke. “He had a pretty bad nightmare last night so I’m trying to keep him calm – he hates loud noises and people yelling.” Naruto said to Kakashi, staying by the door, holding a towel. He knocked again when he heard the shower turn off. “I’m coming in, Sasuke.” He said before opening the door slowly. There was some low talking and the two of them eventually came out, a damp Sasuke wearing a towel around his hips and another to dry his long hair. Kakashi couldn’t stop his eyes widening at the boy. 

He was ridiculously thin, he must have weighed 90 pounds if he was lucky (which, for a boy of 5’7”, was dangerously underweight), and he was bruised and scarred all over. Kakashi quickly got a grip on himself and smiled warmly at the Uchiha

“Hi, Sasuke, I’m so glad to see you.” He said. Sasuke smiled ever so slightly, then looked up at Naruto who grinned and took him into the bedroom to get dressed. The blonde reappeared a moment later, looking grave

“You weren’t kidding about how thin he is, huh?” Kakashi said softly with a sigh. Naruto nodded

“I’ve been feeding him constantly but he can’t eat much anymore - he can only handle about half a bowl of ramen on a good day.” 

“Have you tried giving him anything plain? Like just rice and vegetables? He probably isn’t used to a lot of flavors.” 

“Huh, yeah, I didn’t think of that...so, just plain tastes?” Kakashi nodded 

“I think he’d prefer that, he always used to prefer bland foods anyway.” Naruto nodded and they both turned to see Sasuke reappearing, now dressed in a T-shirt and sweatpants, both of which looked much too big on his skeletal body. They both smiled at him, making him blush as he sat down beside Naruto. 

“We were just talking about how you haven’t been eating much; do you think you’d rather have plain food, like rice and vegetables?” Naruto said amiably. Sasuke glanced at him and nodded, his shoulders tensing a little “It’s ok, Sasuke, you just had to ask..” the blonde said, looking at him with a soft smile. 

“How about we all go shopping, and Sasuke can pick out what he’d like to eat?” Kakashi suggested. He was painfully aware Sasuke would hate to go out in public right now but some fresh air and the nostalgia of Konoha would be good for him. He watched the raven boy look down, tensed as his hands gripped his knees. “It’s Sunday, so not many people will be around.” He added, smiling to see Sasuke relax even a little at that. Naruto nodded and looked at Sasuke

“Sound good to you, Sas?” he asked. Sasuke looked at him and nodded, making Naruto grin

“Great! We can go whenever, have you had enough to eat?” another nod

“Ok, shall we go now?”

“Sure, let me grab Sasuke a sweater.” Naruto said, going off into the bedroom. Kakashi looked at his old student with hidden sadness. The Sasuke they’d all once known was gone, his personality literally tortured out of him so he was now a conditioned, docile slave. It broke Kakashi’s heart that someone so young had already been through so much. Sasuke wasn’t even 19 yet. 

The sensei smiled at the ex-student

“Do you like living with Naruto, Sasuke?” he asked softly. Sasuke glanced at him and nodded with a small smile “Isn’t it a little cramped here though?” he asked, Sasuke shrugged “Maybe we can think about finding you two a bigger place – what do you think, Naruto?” he asked when the blonde returned, holding a green sweater and dark blue hoodie. He handed the latter to Sasuke, who thanked him and pulled it on, pulling up the hood so his identity would be a little less obvious.

“What’s that, Kakashi?” Naruto asked, pulling on his own sweater

“I was just saying to Sasuke that this place is a little small for two people.” Kakashi said with a smile. Naruto sighed, nodding

“Yeah, I guess it is a little cramped sometimes…even with Sasuke being so skinny.” He said with a smile, looking at said person who returned it. “I keep meaning to look for a bigger place..”

“I’ll keep an eye out, ok?” Kakashi said with a smile, Naruto grinning and nodded

“Thanks, Kakashi-sensei!” he said. 

They left the house and headed into the main town for the market. Sasuke’s shoulders were rigid as soon as he stepped out of the house; even the wind seemed to surprise him. Kakashi and Naruto both subconsciously stayed close to the black-haired boy to offer comfort and protection, should they be needed. 

The outing was a perfectly calm affair, the streets were all but deserted due to an impending rain forecast so Sasuke didn’t feel surrounded or claustrophobic, and anyone who recognized him seemed to understand the situation and simply greeted him kindly rather than making him uncomfortable. 

Kakashi paid for the boys’ groceries and walked them back home, intending to spend as much time with them as possible so he could regain Sasuke’s trust. It was obvious he’d latched onto Naruto as his primary support, always staying closer to the blonde than anyone else, and Naruto was being the perfect supporter and protector. 

They sat in Naruto’s small living room, Naruto and Kakashi talking while Sasuke ate a bowl of lightly salted steamed rice which was the first meal he’d finished since arriving at Naruto’s house almost a week ago. Naruto grinned when he saw this and promised more plain rice and vegetables, which made Sasuke smile.

“So, Tsunade wants Sasuke to come for an examination. Are you still in pain, Sasuke?” Kakashi asked, looking at Sasuke. The boy looked up at him and nodded

“A little..” he said and the older man realized it was the first thing Sasuke had actually said in his presence. Sasuke had always been a quiet kid, but never this quiet. Barely saying a word all day wasn’t a good thing. He’d have to speak to Naruto about that too - perhaps asking less yes-or-no questions and asking more which require a verbal reply would be better. 

*

“Hello, Sasuke, how are you feeling?” Tsunade asked the young Uchiha, but the boy looked down - like he was shying away from her words. Naruto sighed, seeing Tsunade’s surprise.

“It’s ok, Sasuke, you can talk. I told you, you don’t need permission anymore..” he said softly. Sasuke nodded, licking his lips quickly before speaking.

“I-I’m ok..” the raven said, his eyes still down. Tsunade frowned, looking between the two of them.

“What do you mean by ‘permission’?” she asked the blonde boy. His face was sad as he spoke

“Sasuke doesn’t speak unless he has permission.” 

“And why is that, Sasuke?”

“He…hurt me if I spoke without permission…” he said, his voice barely more than a whisper. Tsunade nodded, angered at this but stayed professional, writing it down. ‘He’ could only be Orochimaru

“Ok, lie down on the bed please, Sasuke, and I’ll take a look. Is there anywhere in particular that’s painful or uncomfortable?” 

“Um, my ribs…and my arm.. My feet are better now..” he said, obeying her. Naruto helped him onto the high bed and he lay down. Tsunade followed them over, pulling on her gloves

“Right, I’m just going to feel your ribs for any breaks so let me know if it hurts, ok?” she asked and Sasuke nodded, Naruto standing on his other side. Tsunade lifted Sasuke’s shirt to reveal the bruised, skinny chest and stomach. 

She frowned, brushing his fingertips lightly along the side with the worst discoloration “That looks like it really hurts..” she commented but he didn’t reply. In truth, he was used to the pain so he barely noticed it anymore. “I’m just going press down on it slightly, to see if I can feel any breaks, ok? It’s gonna hurt, so brace yourself..”

He nodded and she started pressing down on the bruised parts, barely getting a wince from him, which worried her. She soon touched a place on his ribs where his reaction was more obvious, feeling at least two breaks in the bone and another in the one below. “Ok, I can feel a couple of broken ribs… I’m gonna see if I can heal it - do you know how long ago this happened?” she asked

“It’s been hurting for a while…”

“How long is a while, Sasuke?” she asked, dreading his answer. He sighed, frowning slightly.

“I think they broke a few months ago but they got worse when Master’s guards punished me..”

“Punished you? For what?”

“I…I think it was for asking for some food… It wasn’t the right day..” he said, trying to remember what he’d tried to forget. Tsunade frowned further.

“What do you mean? ‘Right day’ for what?” Naruto looked at her and answered.

“He, um, only got food on certain days. I think it was every two or three days for food, right?” he asked and Sasuke nodded “That was only if he was ‘good’.” 

“And if not?” Tsunade asked, her heart pounding slightly with anger and dread.

“He only got fed if he did something Orochimaru, um…liked..” he watched as the Hokage’s eyebrow twitched with anger then changed to smiled warmly at Sasuke, placing her hands over his damaged ribs

“If you can keep still, I’ll see if I can heal it.” he nodded and she closed her eyes, frowning slightly as she centered her chakra on his bones. She managed to get them into the right position and fuse them back together as much as she could but it would take a while to heal fully. His eyes were slightly open and his jaw tight was he looked at Naruto’s shirt.

“I can only heal so much, your body should heal the rest on its own but it will still hurt for a week or so.” She said, addressing both boys, who both nodded their understanding. “Now, what’s wrong with your arm?” she asked. 

“Uh, he has trouble moving it and his wrist hurts…he struggles holding stuff..” Naruto said for him, recalling the incident when Sasuke tried to help put away the dishes. Tsunade nodded and took gentle hold of the pale boy’s hand, finding the wrist bone thin and very weak. 

“Were you restrained by any chance, Sasuke?” the boy nodded

“There were chains in the room, we were locked in when we weren’t-” Tsunade frowned

“’We’? Were there others with you?” Sasuke’s eyes widened when he realized what he said, like he’d revealed a big secret he wasn’t supposed to tell 

“Sasuke?” Naruto asked softly, knowing he was scared again when his body tensed and looked down. “It’s ok, Sas, you can tell us. You’re not in trouble, I promise.” He said, petting his hair and rubbing his arm gently. Tsunade let go of his hand, worried he’d yank it away and hurt it more.

“Sasuke, I need you to tell me everything about Orochimaru’s place. Were there others?” she asked again, trying to keep her voice as soft as possible. Sasuke bit his lip and nodded

“Yes…I had to leave them behind…we couldn’t get everyone out, I had to leave them..” he said, repeating it like a mantra. Naruto could see he was upset and hugging him from his position beside the bed, trying to keep him calm. 

“It’s ok, Sasuke, it’s ok. No more questions, ok?” he was saying softly, glancing at Tsunade, who nodded. She went back to looking at Sasuke’s wrist, eager to change the subject as it caused Sasuke such stress. 

“It looks like the muscles are a little withering in your wrist and hand, Sasuke, so I’m gonna give you some daily exercises to do to strengthen them.” She said, speaking to Naruto as Sasuke didn’t seem to be listening. He had his eyes closed and he was holding onto Naruto’s hand for dear life. The blonde smiled and nodded to her, his arm wrapped around Sasuke tightly. 

They were soon out of Tsunade’s office and heading home, Naruto put the pain medication prescription and list of exercises for Sasuke in his pocket to fill out later, knowing Sasuke didn’t want to be away from the house for too long or be alone. He decided to call Kakashi when they got home, so he could – for lack of a better word – watch Sasuke while he was out...

What was important now, though, was finding out about the others Sasuke mentioned...and rescuing them.


	4. Chapter 4

“Sasuke.” Naruto said softly. Sasuke looked up, to see the blonde standing with Kakashi and Tsunade. “We need to talk about what you said yesterday…about the others?” he said. Sasuke looked down and nodded, his shoulders tensing a little. “It’s ok, we’re gonna help them, I promise.” He said, sitting beside him. Kakashi and the Hokage sat on the other sofa, facing the boys. 

“We need you to tell us about them, where they’re being kept, so we can send a rescue squad.” Kakashi said. Sasuke looked at him, eyes wide. 

“You’re…you’ll help them?” he asked. Kakashi nodded, as did Naruto and Tsunade. 

“Of course. Now, we just need to know a few things.” Tsunade said with a small smile.

“I didn’t…say about the others until I was sure…you would help..” Sasuke said softly, glancing at her. 

“That’s ok, I completely understand. Now, do you know where it was you were kept?”

“Not exactly…but I know I came West…three days’ walk…” 

“Would you be able to find it again if you went back?” Sasuke nodded. 

“I think so..”

“Lady Hokage, you can’t be thinking of taking him back there?” Naruto asked, shocked and a little angry. She levelled her gaze with his and nodded. 

“If it means saving the rest of the prisoners and potentially capturing Orochimaru once and for all, then yes, Naruto, I am.” She said, then looked at the Uchiha. “Do you think you will be able to leave tomorrow, Sasuke?” she asked. He looked at her and nodded.

“Yes.” He said, the old determination flashing momentarily in his eyes. 

“I’m going too.” Naruto said. Tsunade nodded. 

“I can’t argue with that. Now, Sasuke, how many others were there in this place?”

“There were…10 of us, including me. Haku was there..” Sasuke said, looking at Naruto, whose eyes widened and mouth dropped open. 

“Haku?! I thought he was dead!” Sasuke shook his head. 

“Deidara was there too…from the Akatsuki, and Hidan.”

“I thought all the Akatsuki were dead... It must be part of Orochimaru’s MO, taking MIA ninja.” Tsunade said thoughtfully, writing this down. “Did you get anyone else’s names?” Sasuke nodded, his eyes down. 

“Suigestu…Sai, Bakuto, Sumaru, Arashi and Jugo…” Kakashi nodded, writing them all down. “Deidara said there were others before but…they’re gone.”

“Gone? You mean they died?” Kakashi asked, Sasuke shrugged, still looking down. 

It was obvious he was scared, desperately worried about his friends. Naruto gently touched his shoulder and Sasuke looked at him. 

“Don’t worry, Sas, we’ll rescue them.” He said, determination in his eyes. Sasuke nodded, looking down with a small smile. 

“Thank you…” he said softly. 

“We’ll get a team together immediately.” Tsunade said. 

“I want to help choose who’s on the team, Madam Hokage, especially if Sasuke is going too.” Naruto said. 

“Of course, Naruto, I’d already assumed.” She said with a smile. “We’ll need to leave soon… I’d say Sasuke is able to handle that kind of travel now, we’ll be taking wagons anyway in case your feet start hurting.” She said to Sasuke, who nodded. 

He wanted to help his friends, needed to. He didn’t feel like he deserved freedom until they were all safely away from that terrible place. 

“We can leave in a couple of days, as soon as we have the team and supplies sorted out. This is a priority mission.” Kakashi said and Sasuke looked at him, smiling gratefully. 

And so, plans were made to find Orochimaru’s hideout, and rescue all of his captives. Sasuke was consulted often about preparations for the mission, asking how he imagined his friends were in their health, how deep into the fortress they were kept, how many guards there were, et cetera. 

Sasuke often felt overwhelmed by how much they asked of him, but Naruto was always be there to request a break for him, take him outside in the cool air to calm down and they would talk about the questions more gently. They would then return to the council room, and Naruto would relay the answers with confidence.  
2 days later, they were ready. 

They left just before dawn, as the sky began to lighten, the moon fading. They had 4 wagons, holding supplies and room for the rescued hostages. With Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi came a 20-strong security team of ANBU and Shinobi, including some of their old friends. Kiba had joined up as soon as he heard about the mission, dragging his now lover Shikamaru with him. Sasuke had expressed to Naruto that he’d been scared they’d all hate him now, but in truth they were angry for him, pitied him even. He was so different to the boy they’d known it was impossible for them to resent him now. 

Sakura also volunteered, as part of the medical team. She had been excited when she heard about Sasuke being back, but she almost cried when she saw him in person. She’d expected him tall, muscular and handsome. He still had the looks, he always had delicate features and large, beautiful eyes, but he was much more pretty than handsome, and so small. She could have sworn he’d hardly grown since she’d last seen him, and horribly thin to boot. But she was gentle to him, kind and careful, and he seemed to warm up to her eventually. 

Sasuke knew some of them would be injured and they were all on the verge of starving when he left. He hoped Orochimaru hadn’t punished them too badly when they discovered him missing. He wondered if that guard would tell anyone that he helped him escape, maybe he was dead. Maybe they were all dead... 

The night before the mission, Naruto sat Sasuke down and asked if he definitely wanted to go back there.

“They won’t be able to find it without me…” he said, frowning slightly. He knew Naruto was against him going on the mission, but he thought they’d decided it would be best.

“I know, but do you want to go?” he asked gently, his eyes concerned. Sasuke didn’t really understand but he looked down, thinking about it. 

“I…I’m scared to back there…” he said softly. Naruto sighed softly and nodded. “But…I have to. I need to find my friends, and help them get out of there…e-even if I’m scared.” He said, looking up at Naruto with tears in his eyes but that same old strength he had when they were young. Naruto grinned and hugged him.

“Ok…that’s fine then. I just didn’t want you to feel forced into going..” he said. Sasuke nodded, smiling weakly when they parted. He’d grown used to contact with Naruto as long as it wasn’t skin-to-skin, he was still wary of that. “Are you hungry? We need our strength for tomorrow. We’re leaving just before dawn, ok?” he asked and Sasuke nodded, smiling. He always got up before dawn anyway, he liked watching the sunrise and it was nice and quiet then. 

They made dinner together, something they’d started doing often as it gave them both something to do and a way to chat easily. Sasuke also enjoyed cleaning, so Naruto’s apartment was the cleanest it had ever been – Kakashi and Iruka had found this very amusing last time they visited. 

After dinner, they went to bed. Sasuke had been sleeping in Naruto’s bed since he collapsed in the doorway those few weeks ago, but recently Naruto had started joining him. Sasuke's nightmares were so common now that Naruto ended up comforting him until they both fell asleep anyway so they decided it would be better for him to be close at all times. Plus, though neither of them would admit it, it was nice to sleep close to someone, snuggled up and warm. It had even helped reduce Sasuke’s nightmares, which was definitely a good thing. 

So they went to bed that night, huddled together in Naruto’s cramped bed, warm and safe. They were both nervous about the mission, though Sasuke seemed to be handling it well. Naruto was worried for Sasuke, scared he’d panic or freeze when he returned to that terrible place, or worse faced Orochimaru again. He hoped his resolve and determination would drive him to be strong, but Naruto vowed he’d protect Sasuke from that monster, no matter what. They fell asleep, arms around each other under the comforter, dreamless.


	5. Chapter 5

The sky was still dark when Naruto and Sasuke left the house. They were meeting the rest of the team at the city gates, Kakashi and Tsunade handling the logistics.

They were wrapped up warm for the cool early morning, but they’d brought clothing for all climates – the desert between cities was unpredictable at best and Naruto had no intention of letting Sasuke be exposed to any kind of harshness. He knew he was being overly vigilant but he felt the constant need to care for his long-lost, damaged friend.

They walked to the gates in silence, the eerie quiet of the sleeping city only serving to quell the need for conversation – like they’d wake up the ghosts if they spoke.

The group became visible through the gloom soon enough, 3 horse-drawn wagons and a sizeable squad of personnel made it hard to miss. They were greeted by a smiling Kakashi and a tired-looking Tsunade, who was not going on the mission due to her duties as Hokage.

“Morning, boys.” She said with a barely concealed yawn, sipping hot coffee from a travel mug. They both greeted her with nods, Naruto smiling back.

“Are you ready?” Kakashi asked them, taking the pack Naruto was carrying and putting it on one of the wagons with the rest of the gear. Naruto nodded.

“Yup, ready when you are.”

“Perfect. We’re just waiting for the go-ahead from our scout. We’ll have outriders all the way, so we don’t get surprised by anything up ahead.” They both nodded. This had been a last minute addition to the mission tactics. Sasuke expressed fear that Orochimaru’s people would be looking for him and, as they had yet to find him, it was only a matter of time. At the very least, a hasty message from a scout would prepare them for an attack. The small garrison of ninja were highly trained in varied methods of combat, and were invested in protecting Sasuke and the other captives.

Kiba came over to them, accompanied by Shikamaru.

“Hi, guys! Ready to get this show on the road?” the Inuzuka asked with a grin. Naruto nodded, smiling and looked at Sasuke, who nodded too. He was still wary of the others, but they understood and were good at making him feel safe. “We’re gonna be walking with you guys, we’re technically your personal guards, Sasuke.” Kiba said, looking at the Uchiha with a gentle smile.

“Oh, awesome!” Naruto exclaimed with a smile. “Do you know when we’re leaving?”

“They said about 10 minutes, just waiting for the scout to come back.” Kiba said with a smile. Shikamaru yawned, and Kiba smirked at him. “Tired, baby?” he asked, hand on the small of his lover’s back. Shik nodded, rubbing one eye.

“Getting up before the sun is unnatural and wrong..” he said, making Kiba grin.

“Early bird catches the worm.” He said

“Yeah, and the early worm gets eaten..” Shik said with a sigh and Kiba laughed.

“You can nap later, baby.” He said, kissing his cheek. Naruto smirked at the two of them, then looked at Sasuke. He was watching them too, but he looked sad.

“Naruto!” someone shouted above the din and the blonde turned to see Jiraiya, the Toad Sage, running over, grinning and waving. Naruto grinned back but didn’t move to meet him, not wishing to leave Sasuke.

“Hi, Jiraiya! Are you coming too?” he asked. The old man arrived and shook his head, still grinning.

“Not this time, kid, though I really wish I could. Just wanted to see you off – glad I didn’t miss you.” He said, smiling at the others too. Then his eyes fell on Sasuke and the grin faded. “You must be Sasuke?” he asked softly, leaning down slightly so he didn’t tower over him quite so much. Sasuke looked up at him, obviously surprised to be spoken to, and nodded. The way his shoulders tensed showed he was uncomfortable, and fear was written in his eyes but he kept eye contact, as least for the most part. He glanced at Naruto, apparently to ensure he was still there and near.

“Sas, this is Jiraiya – do you remember him from when we were kids?” Naruto asked and Sasuke nodded. “He’s the one I’ve been training with, I’ve learned so much from him, it’s awesome!” He explained with a grin, making Jiraiya chuckle and pat his back. 

“You’ve been a good student, my boy!”

“Oh and he’s also my godfather.” Naruto added to Sasuke. The Uchiha smiled slightly, but his eyes were sad.

“All clear!” someone called as the message was passed around, presumably from the returned scout.

“Well, I’ll leave you to it. I’ll be on the wall, waving you off. Good luck out there.” Jiraiya said to all of them, waving as he walked off.

“Sas, are you ok?” Naruto asked softly, sensing he was upset. Sasuke glanced at him and nodded quickly.

“I’m fine…just worried…” he said, looking up with a start when the gates began to open.

“Looks like we’re finally heading off.” Kiba said with a grin. “Ready?” he asked, and they both nodded. And so, in an orderly and efficient procession, they left the village.


	6. Chapter 6

Sasuke woke up to the vague outlines of bricks. He frowned and pushed his hand forward, his fingers meeting the cold, rough texture, and he recoiled. He sat up, slowly. His back ached with the dull throb, but he was used to that. 

He watched his own shadow against the bricks for a moment before turning, finding there was a whole room behind him. And people, bodies, curled up under threadbare blankets or huddled together. The room was cold, and he pulled his blanket up around his shoulders and crossed his legs, watching the others.

Haku and Deidara were close together as always, their faces almost touching as they shared their blankets, trying to cover their bare bodies and share their body heats. Suigestu had rolled himself up in his paper thin mattress, balling his blanket up like a pillow, trying desperately to be comfortable in the chill. 

Jugo and Samura were snuggled up together too, but their closeness was different. They were the only ones who’d formed, for lack of a better word, romantic bonds with each other, the horrors they’d endured at Orochimaru’s hands bringing them into each other’s arms. Due to his angry, sometimes violent outbursts towards the guards, Jugo’s ankle had been chained to an impossibly heavy stone ball that caused him horrible agony when he tried to walk. He was rarely called to Orochimaru’s quarters, but whenever he was he always returned with fresh broken bones. He was very kind to everyone, and he seemed to have a soft spot for Sasuke, though not one quite as special as the one he held for Sumaru. 

Sumaru took every opportunity he could to exercise his body. He jogged on the spot, did sit-ups and push-ups. Just yesterday, he’d tried to beat his 160 push-up record, cursing himself softly as he forced his own protesting body. Jugo often told him to shut up and get some sleep, when the room was dark and they were locked in for the night, and often having to hug him into submission, holding him tenderly as he sobbed. Sasuke was fairly sure Sumaru was taking this experience the hardest, taking the humiliation of Orochimaru’s summonses as a personal failure, perhaps why Jugo felt he needed to protect and comfort him. They had been called to Orochimaru together once, and they’d both returned silent and haunted, and never spoke of it.

Bakuto could sleep in any position it seemed – he was sitting up against the wall with the blanket draped over his stomach and thighs, his head at an awkward angle. He had been in Orochimaru’s prison the longest, but he wasn’t broken yet, and he knew what not to do. He would be the first to try and defuse a situation – particularly when it came to Jugo’s rages. He worried they’d be killed if they weren’t quiet, making Sasuke fear what he’d seen here in the past. 

The others kept to themselves, at least as far as Sasuke had seen. Sai was very quiet, and very insincerely cheerful when he did converse with the others. He talked about wanting to draw and, as he had no means of doing so, would use his finger to carve through the dust on the floor – creating some elaborate design before brushing it away and starting again. Sasuke had never seen his work, but he assumed it was good from what Suigestu and Jugo said. 

The last in their prison was Arashi, who very rarely spoke and seemed to be the one who escaped Orochimaru’s chamber with the least amount of damage – if fact he seemed to enjoy visiting their master. He made Sasuke uncomfortable but, as he didn’t generally converse with anyone, he was easily avoided. 

Sasuke looked over all of them as they slept, or pretended to sleep. Sleep was hard in here: the other people’s breathing and the cold and the hard floor and the fear filling your head so there was no room for sleep. It had taken Sasuke several days before he was able to sleep properly, and even then he woke up during the night like this, even when he was truly exhausted. It still seemed strange to him, even now. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been here, but he knew it was a long time. 

Sometimes he dreamed of Konoha, and his old team – Sakura and Naruto… He tried to picture their faces as he sat there – they were always distorted in his dreams, expressions changed by anger. He hated the way they’d parted, so much resentment and sadness. He was angry too, he understood their feelings. He hated himself for leaving, for believing Orochimaru’s lies about strength and power. Now he was here, nothing more than a piece of living flesh for Orochimaru to do with as he pleased. They were all just his playthings, and Sasuke didn’t want to be alive anymore. 

“Sasuke!” he heard a voice shout, suddenly close to his ear, and he jumped, looking up with panic. His eyes found a familiar face, blue eyes staring at him. “I was calling you, didn’t you hear me?” he asked, his voice quieter now. Sasuke shook his head, looking down quickly. “Sas?” Naruto asked, and a hand touched his shoulder. Sasuke flinched away from it like he’d been burned, his eyes wide with fear as he stared at the dusty ground. He heard Naruto curse under his breath and asked Kiba for some water, telling him to call for a rest stop. 

A tanned hand holding a skin of water appeared in Sasuke’s field of vision and he took it shakily, avoiding the fingers that held it like they were made of acid. He felt everything come to a stop around him, and his own feet stopped too. He sipped the warm water shakily, his eyes blurred by tears, his back drenched in sweat. “It’s ok, Sas, it’s ok.” Naruto said softly. “C’mon, let’s sit in the wagon, ok? It’ll be cooler in there.” Sasuke nodded, wanting to be cold like in the room, and found his way into the wagon. Naruto joined him and they sat on the benches along the sides, facing each other. Naruto gave Sasuke plenty of space, which he appreciated greatly. 

The blond watched his friend take some deep breaths, one hand still held the water skin tightly while the other gripped his knee, fingers bunching the fabric of his pants as he tried to calm down. It was cooler in the wagon, the air felt less suffocating in here, nice and enclosed. Naruto had noticed Sasuke had become somewhat agoraphobic since he’d been back, disliking being out in the open – though he did appreciate fresh air and breezes too. 

“I…” Sasuke said after a few moments, once he was sure his voice wouldn’t shake. “I’m sorry…” he said. Naruto smiled and shook his head. 

“It’s ok, Sas, honestly. It was getting way too hot out there anyway, we all needed a break.” He said gently. Sasuke sighed and nodded, wiping a hand over his own forehead, his brow beading with a feverish sweat. “Are you hungry?” he asked after a few moments of them sitting in silence, listening the wind outside and the snorting of horses, their team’s voices and laughter. 

Sasuke looked up at him and nodded, making Naruto smile. “Me too.” He said, digging in their provisions to pull out their packed lunches of onigiri and vegetables. He handed one to Sasuke, who thanked him, and they dug in. Naruto was bored by the tastelessness but it was filling, and Sasuke enjoyed it. 

After eating, Naruto left Sasuke to rest in the wagon while he rejoined Shikamaru and Kiba outside. They were sat in the shade next to the wagon, sharing a similar meal of cold rice and vegetables, though theirs smelled much better seasoned than what they’d had. Kiba smiled at him as he came over, offering him their water skin as he sat down in the dust with them. 

“Thanks.” He said with a smile, sipping it slightly before giving it back – he had his own supply. 

“How’s Sasuke?” Kiba asked, handing the skin to Shik. Naruto sighed and shrugged. 

“Tired out, I think… And scared.” He said softly. Kiba nodded with a sad expression. 

“I don’t blame him for that one… Going back to somewhere like that…must be terrifying.” He said. 

“How much do you…know? About what went on there?”

“We were fully briefed about the facility.” Shikamaru said, looking at Naruto meaningfully, and he understood. 

“Yeah…unbelievable. To think he was there all this time-” Kiba stopped talking when he saw the look Shikamaru shot him. “Um…yeah, we know… Hopefully Sasuke will get some…closure from this mission?”

“If his friends are alive, yeah, maybe… If they’re not…it might make it worse. He survived, he got out and came home…if they’re dead, it’ll destroy him…” Naruto said, just realising it himself. Maybe it was a bad idea, bringing Sasuke on this mission. If he saw his friends were dead, he might never get over it. He’d already watched his parents die…what would this do to him?

Naruto sighed and stood up, interrupting Kiba asking Shik if there was any more food. 

“You ok, man?” Kiba asked, surprise at his abruptness. 

“Um…yeah, I just… I gotta go talk to Sasuke… See you guys later.” He said vaguely, going back to their wagon. He hauled himself up into the cool enclosure, finding Sasuke curled up on one of the benches. His eyes were closed but he wasn’t asleep, Naruto could tell. The blond sat opposite him and Sasuke looked at him, sleepy. 

“Naruto?” he asked. He sat up slowly, looking at him almost suspiciously. 

“Hey, Sas…I wanted to talk to you… If…if we do find your friends and they’re not…they’re not…-”

“Alive?” Sasuke asked, looking down. He had a blank expression on his face but there was sadness in his eyes. Naruto sighed and nodded. “I know they might be dead…I’ve had dreams about it…nightmares..” Naruto’s heart hurt a little at that. He knew all too well how badly the nightmares affected Sasuke. 

“I know…” Impulsively he got up and went to sit beside Sasuke. He recoiled at this, leaning away from him with wide eyes. Then he seemed to remember Naruto wasn’t a threat, and shifted back to sitting normally. 

“I…I want walk in there though… I need to…” he said, and Naruto saw that same determination his old friend used to have. Naruto smiled and nodded. 

“Well, ok then.” He said. He wanted to hug Sasuke, but stopped himself. Sasuke was stressed, touching him wouldn’t help. He stayed close, finding himself a book to read while Sasuke lay back down on the bench.

They stayed in the wagon after the troop started to move again, Sasuke sleeping while Naruto fretted about what they would find at their destination. Either way, Sasuke’s old life, the life he’d led in that room for years, would finally be over.


	7. Chapter 7

On the third day, Sasuke and Naruto, along with their guards Kiba and Shikamaru, had been called up to the front of the column, where Kakashi and the other mission leaders were. With him was Sakura – who was the supervising Medical Nin, the Navigator and the leader of the scouts. 

“We think we’re near to the compound, Sasuke, do you recognize this area?” Sakura asked, though she was looking around doubtfully. They were in the middle of an arid wasteland, no one could possibly get their bearings here. Sasuke looked around, clearly stressed by this, frantically searching for anything that would tell him how close they were.  
Kakashi sighed, shaking his head angrily at the Navigator – a paunchy man with a perpetually irritated expression. 

“This is ridiculous, there’s no landmarks here whatsoever-”

“Sir! We’ve found it!” a voice called, the sound of hooves approaching them, making everyone look up. Sasuke shrank back beside Naruto, clearly relieved by the shift of attention away from him. 

The scout leader marched forward, a envoy appearing from the dusty clouds that filled the air. “Sir, we found an entrance. It’s made of sandstone, buried between 2 dunes.” The woman on horseback reported to her superior. 

“Is that the place, Sasuke?” Kakashi asked gently. Sasuke nodded, his eyes wide. He remembered scrabbling up the steep sand to get out once he was past the heavy door. It had been so dark and he had been so scared he hadn’t even realized the entrance was hidden. 

“Y-yes.” He said, his heart pounding. Kakashi nodded, smiling reassuringly at him from beneath his mask, and went over to the scouts. 

“Sasuke says that’s the entrance to the compound, let’s go.” He said. There was a mad rush and scrabble to ready themselves and the party was off again, trundling along the desert sands. 

The dust clouds began to thick as the wind picked up, and soon they were being battered and blinded by the stinging whips lashing their skin. People had to shout to be heard over the howl, and opening your mouth let in a tidal wave of grit, so they were eerily silent as they trudged through the cutting tempest. The scouts lead them, waiting in line like ushers to guide them to their destination. The dunes were high as they approached, providing adequate shelter from the storm to stop the wagons. 

The scout who had reported finding the entrance found Kakashi and the rest once they’d escaped the wind, telling them to follow her. The team they’d assembled for the extraction formed instantly, and they went. 

Sliding down a particularly large valley between 2 very high dunes, they found a barely visibly doorway constructed of bricks the same color as the sand around them. The wood of door itself was beaten and worn, Sasuke knew it to be the heavy door it had taken all his strength to pull open, letting in a flood of sand.

It took three ninja, including Kakashi, to shove it open, and when it finally gave, they fell onto a soft pile of sand.

Kakashi sighed, brushing the dust and sand from his grey hair as he stood with the others. 

“Ok…stay alert, everyone, we don’t know who is still here.” 

“Looks abandoned.” Kiba said, kicking up the dust from the floor. 

“It always looked like this..” Sasuke said, and they looked at him. He was looking at the floor, his shoulders impossibly tense. He recognized the place so immediately, so intensely, it made him want to scream. “We…we were kept down there…” he said, pointing to the long, declining corridor that was too dark to see more than a few feet ahead. 

“Are you sure you want to go in, Sas?” Naruto asked him softly. “We can wait in the wagon if-” Sasuke shook his head.

“I need to see them…” he said and Naruto nodded, hand on his shoulder. 

“Ok, if you’re sure. I’ll be right next to you the whole time.” He said. Sasuke looked at him, and smiled, nodding. 

“Thank you..” he said. Naruto grinned and turned to Kakashi, who nodded. 

“Alright, let’s do this. I want 3 teams – we’ll take Sasuke and find the captives. I want one team of recon for the rest of the facility, and another team to hang back as reserves.” He gestured for who was in what team by parting the crowd 3 ways. “Each team will take a medical nin. Sakura, I want you and your assistant with us.” the pink-haired woman nodded in agreement, her jaw set with determination. “I want prisoners, people. Anyone you find is to be taken back to Konoha for questioning.” 

He looked at Sasuke, then back at the others. “If Orochimaru happens to die though…that’s fine.” He said. He pointed to the recon team. “You, go.” They obeyed, running off next to silently. He waited a few moments before nodding to his own team. “Let’s move out.” He said and everyone nodded, standing to attention. Sakura joined Kakashi’s team with Naruto and Sasuke, smiling slightly at them. Kakashi nodded, and led the way down the corridor. 

Sasuke was ahead, beside Kakashi, Naruto close behind him. Following suit was Sakura with her medical assistant, plus Kiba, Shikamaru, and three other chunin. They went down the dark hallway, slow and quiet. They each had a flashlight on a low beam setting, enough to illuminate their dusty path without drawing unwanted attention to their presence. 

“Ok, Sasuke, we need you to direct us…” Kakashi said to ex-student softly. He looked at Sasuke, the boy’s eyes were huge with fear, but he nodded. His jaw was clenched, and suddenly he resembled his old self – prideful and determined, but now it wasn’t revenge he wanted. It was to save his friends, and that burning light inside him was clear. 

“It’s up here, there’s a staircase down on the left.” He said softly, pointing down into the darkness. “Maybe 200 yards.” He said. Kakashi nodded, turning to the rest of the team. 

“Everyone, get ready. We don’t know what we’re going to find, stay on your guard.” He said and they all nodded, continuing onward. 

When they came to the top of the staircase, Sasuke froze. Naruto saw and moved up beside him, hand on his shoulder. 

“Sas?” he asked. 

“I…I don’t…-” he whispered shakily, trailing off. “I’m scared they’re all going to be dead...like my dreams…” he admitted, looking at Naruto with wide eyes. Naruto sighed and nodded. 

“I’ll go in before you, ok?” he asked. Sasuke nodded, looking down. 

“Thank you…” he said. Naruto kept his hand on his shoulder as he looked at Kakashi, and nodded. Their old trainer nodded back, and the team descended the stairs, Naruto a step ahead of Sasuke, Kakashi beside them. 

At the bottom was a heavy wooden door with an iron bolt. The stench of filth hit them as soon as they reached it, and they all readied themselves for whatever horrors lay beyond the lock. Naruto looked at Sasuke and saw how scared he was, and held his hand as Kakashi pulled the bolt across with a screech of metal, and opened the door. Kakashi went in first, Naruto following, keeping his hand in Sasuke’s as he kept the Uchiha behind him. He didn’t want Sasuke to see his friends if they were dead.

Inside were 7 young men, sitting in the dark, cold room. They were all naked, some with threadbare blankets covering themselves as much as they could. They were asleep, or dead. They were all emaciated, and the room stank of blood and filth. They’d been abandoned, that was clear. Left to rot. 

Then they began to stir. A couple of them groaned as they opened their eyes, only to close them again at the bright lights. Arms lifted to shield their eyes, the largest of them shook the smaller one beside him, telling to wake and see. 

“They’re alive.” Naruto said, and Sasuke pushed past him to look, still gripping his hand.

“S…Sasuke…?” a voice asked and Naruto moved his flashlight’s beam to rest on a pretty brunette with long hair. He was sitting up against the wall, frowning at the light. He was almost skeletal, his cheekbones far too prominent and his body just skin and bones. A sheet of long dark hair half covered his face and chest.

“Haku!” Sasuke half cried, going over to him. Haku was grinning at him weakly, like he was unable to believe his eyes.

“Dei…Dei, wake up… Sasuke’s back..!” Haku said with a weak smile, shaking the person lying beside him awake. One blue eye opened slowly, unfocussed, the other was covered in a makeshift bandage from a ripped piece of blanket. 

“S-Sasuke…?” he asked, his lips chapped. Sasuke wanted to cry at how weak they were, Deidara couldn’t even move he was so thin. They were shivering badly, the chill biting and the hunger worse.

“Sakura!” Naruto called and she ran over to join them. “We need to get everyone out.” He said and she nodded, moving to examine the 2 boys. 

“I’ll run and get the reserves, we need help moving everyone. I’ll bring clothes as well.” One of the chunin said and Kakashi nodded, letting her go. Kiba, Shikamaru and the others were talking to the rest of the prisoners, making sure they were all alive. Shikamaru and Kiba were talking to Jugo and Sumaru, the other 2 chunin spoke to Bakuto and Suigestu, Sakura’s assistant was helping Sai. 

“Haku, where is Arashi?” Sasuke asked. Haku looked at him for a moment, as if trying to understand what he’d said, before he sighed, shaking his head. 

“He left with them…when they left us here to die, he went with them… He smiled as he walked out the door…” he said, his head back against the wall. There were so much pain in his voice. 

Sakura was looking over Deidara when she questioned the bandage over his eye. Haku looked down at his friend with a sad impression. 

“Orochimaru blinded it…burned it or something…” he said. Sakura used her flashlight to look at the wound, Sasuke chose to look away. He heard her swear under her breath, and promised they’d treat it properly in Konoha.

The reserve squad arrived a few minutes later with stretchers, clothing and blankets. They took the weakest first, which was Deidara and Sumaru, dressing them quickly in warm clothes before wrapping them in blankets, then took them off to the wagons. Jugo had wanted to go with Sumaru, but he was too weak to stand and the wound on his leg from the chain had worsened, even with the chain absent. 

“What happened?” Sasuke asked Haku while they waited, the brunette now dressed and wrapped in his own new blanket, drinking water slowly but gratefully. Haku sighed. 

“They realized you were missing in the morning, when they called for you to go to him. The guards questioned us all, tortured us, but all we said was that you’d escaped. Dei told them which guard had helped you…after that they were all anxious. Orochimaru stopped asking for anyone, and we just stayed in here. Eventually the guards stopped bringing us meals, and we realized they’d all left… That must have been…two weeks ago?” he asked the room, and Suigetsu nodded, glancing up at him from watching one of the medics treating his wrists. “We rationed our last meals, trying to save what we could. We still had water, so we survived well enough…hungry, but alive… We thought we were gonna die here.”

“Why did they take off all the chains? Jugo’s stone…?” he asked. Haku shrugged his bone-thin shoulders, shaking his head on a neck that seemed too fragile. 

“They came the day before they left and unlocked us all…but locked the door so we couldn’t get out. I guess it was one final torture…” he said. Sasuke sighed, shaking his head. 

“I’m so sorry, Haku… I wanted to tell them sooner about you but…I was so scared…” he whispered, then he felt a cold, gentle hand on his arm and he looked up to see Haku smiling at him, tears rolling his cheeks. 

“Thank you for coming back...” he said. Sasuke’s own tears fell after that, and he hugged his friend tightly. It was just as they were parting that Haku noticed Naruto, and grinned.

“Naruto!” he cried, and suddenly he was sobbing. Naruto instantly pulled him into a tight hug, feeling his horrifically thin body shaking and holding him tighter, warm and safe. Sasuke looked sad, heartbroken for his friends, and Naruto squeezed his hand, still rubbing Haku’s bony back. Sasuke looked at him, tears in his eyes, and smiled gratefully, squeezing back. 

Naruto sat beside Haku against the wall, his arm around him as he dozed – the burst of emotion had completely exhausted him, now causing him to be on the verge of passing out. Sasuke sat on Haku’s other side, holding his hand tightly, not letting him feel alone without Deidara. The two of them had been reliant on each other since way before Sasuke arrived, he knew, and when one of them was called to their master’s chamber, the other clearly declined – some kind of separation anxiety. 

Soon the stretcher returned to get Haku, and Naruto helped lie him down on it. He looked panicked as he was picked up and moved onto the stretcher, clinging to Naruto, but the blond soothed him, promising him they’d be right behind him. 

He and Sasuke followed Haku’s carriers out, Sasuke holding Naruto’s hand tightly. He was leaving this awful place for good, and that frightened him, but he was happy, and his friends were alive.


End file.
